


Hope Is Scary

by tabbytabbytabby



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Bad Things Happen Bingo, Beaches, First Kiss, Fluff, Future Fic, Getting Together, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-24
Updated: 2019-01-24
Packaged: 2019-10-15 17:40:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17533265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tabbytabbytabby/pseuds/tabbytabbytabby
Summary: After college, Nolan finds himself in the beach town Scott has been living in. He easily settles into a life there, and finds himself wanting to stay.





	Hope Is Scary

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ithinkwehaveanemergency](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ithinkwehaveanemergency/gifts).



> I'm dedicating this fic to Adri, who is the reason I fell in love with this ship in the first place.
> 
> Also for the Hope Is Scary slot on Bad Things Happen Bingo
> 
> Inspired by [this aesthetic](http://tabbytabbytabby.tumblr.com/post/181951052933/after-graduating-nolan-finds-himself-drawn-to-the) I made

It’s a weird thing, coming back to Beacon Hills after 4 years of being gone. The town seems so different to him now. He doesn’t know if it’s because the town itself has changed, or it’s just him. It only takes a few days for him to realize he doesn’t have anything in Beacon Hills. At least not any reason to stay. It’s far too easy to grab his bags and throw them into the back of his car again.

Liam at least doesn’t seem the least bit surprised that he’s leaving, “I kind of figured it wouldn’t be permanent. You’ve been away so long. And you always said this place never felt like home. Sometimes you just have to leave. No one can blame you for that.”

Nolan nods, and pulls his friend in for a hug, “I might not miss this town, but I will miss you.”

Liam smiles, and gives him a few friendly pats on the back, “Do you know where you’ll go?”

Nolan shakes his head, “Not really. I might just travel for a while. Take in some sights.”

“Well you know where some of the others have scattered to,” Liam says. “I’m sure they’ll be happy if you wanted to stop in for a visit.”

Nolan says goodbye after agreeing to come visit from time to time, and then he’s on the road. He just gets on the road and drives. It’s not until he’s driving through Santa Barbara that he realizes where he’s heading. He hadn’t meant to. At least not yet. But he’s been subconsciously driving towards the beach town Scott has been living in nearby.

He knows if he wanted he could keep going, and no one would ever know. But he’s heard so much about the place, and how happy and at peace Scott seems there. He can’t help but put the address in his GPS and point his car towards Carpinteria.

He’s driving through town when he spots Scott’s motorbike parked outside the veterinary clinic. He must be at work. Nolan parks his car behind the motorbike and looks towards the clinic. He can see Scott inside, talking to a woman who is holding a small dog. He says something and she smiles and squeezes his hand before walking towards the exit. Nolan watches as Scott smiles to himself and starts typing something on the computer in front of him. He hasn’t realizes Nolan is here yet.

Nolan takes a breath and gets out of the car, clenching and unclenching his fingers as he walks around it towards the shop. The door gives a pleasant ding when it opens, and Nolan steps inside. Scott doesn’t look up from his computer as he starts to greet him. “Hey, I’ll be with you in a minute.”

“No rush,” Nolan says, fighting to keep the smile off his face.

Scott stills, scents the air for a moment, and then his head snaps up. His eyes widen as he takes Nolan in, before he’s rushing out from behind the counter and coming towards him. Nolan would be startled by the hug he finds himself pulled into if he didn’t know how much Scott loved hugs.

“Nolan,” Scott says, a pleased smile on his face when he pulls back to look at him. “What are you doing here? I thought you were heading home.”

“I was,” Nolan says, following Scott as he heads back towards the counter. “I went back to Beacon Hills and it just felt… different. I guess I’m just trying to figure out where home is.”

“And you wound up here?”

“I was just driving,” Nolan admits. “I had no idea where I was going. And then I saw Santa Barbara, and knew you were close. I heard a lot about this place from the pack and I guess I wanted to see if it was as great as they say it is.”

“It is,” Scott assures him. “I think you’ll love it. If you’re planning to stay? I mean, at least for a day or two, right?”

Nolan nods, “Yeah I can stay for a bit. I have to find someplace…”

Scott shakes his head, “No. You can stay with me. I have the room. No sense in you wasting money to stay somewhere when I have a perfectly good spare room you can use for free.”

Nolan smiles, “That would be great.”

***

It’s surprisingly easy to fall into a routine in this small town. He wakes up early every morning and has breakfast with Scott before he has to go to work. They head into town together, with Scott heading for the clinic and Nolan going to the home for troubled teens he’s been volunteering at.

It was a complete accident that he wound up here. He’d been walking through town and trying to get his bearings when he’d noticed the sign in the window saying that they were looking for volunteers. The couple running the place had been hesitant to hire a stranger. But once Nolan told them what his degree was in, and that he was friends with Scott, they’d been a lot more welcoming.

That was over almost two months ago.

Now he’s at the home at least 5 days a week doing what he can to help out. It’s not easy. A lot of the kids aren’t all that trusting. But Nolan always pushes through. He knows what it’s like to be them. To be distrustful of the world and think it’s wronged you. He gets it. He knows they need someone to care and show that they’ll stick around.

Which is part of the problem.

He loves it here. The more time he spends here in this town, and with Scott, the more he wants to stay. It’s the only reason he starts looking into colleges nearby where he can get his Master’s degree. He’s not sure what pushes him to apply. He doesn’t even know if staying is an option. But he feels like he has to try.

It’s another two weeks before he gets an envelope in the mail from the University of Santa Barbara. He holds it in his hands, trying to decide if he should open it or not. He knows he’s going to have to. He can’t avoid it forever.

He takes the envelope with him out to the back porch. The fresh air calms his nerves a little. He takes a deep breath and opens the envelope, taking out the letter on top. His eyes catch the first few words and he stops. He puts the envelope and letter on the table behind him before turning back to the lookout at the ocean.

“There you are,” Scott says, stepping out onto the porch and closing the door. He steps up next to Nolan and leans on the railing. “Everything alright?”

Nolan nods, “I’m fine.” He grimaces at the way his voice rises around the words.

Scott is silent for a moment. So long that Nolan thinks he’s not going to question the obvious lie.

“I know you’re afraid,” Scott says finally. His eyes flick in Nolan’s direction before moving back to the ocean spread out in front of them. “Hope is a scary thing.”

“You always have hope,” Nolan points out. “You can’t tell me you’re always afraid.

Scott’s answering laugh is light, “Maybe not _always_. But I do get afraid. I was afraid to come here, you know? I was afraid to let myself have that peace. I still hoped it would work out. And things stayed peaceful. Nothing happened. And honestly, that was more terrifying than anything. Letting myself just relax and live without the fear of something coming to take that all away was scary as hell. But I did. And now it’s just…”

“You’re happy,” Nolan says. “I mean, you were happy before. But I can tell this place is good for you. You’re at peace here. Calm. It’s like this place was made for you. You belong here. And I...”

Scott turns his head to look at him, and there’s something in his eyes that makes Nolan’s pulse quicken. _Hope_. “What about you?”

Nolan lets out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. He feels that familiar surge of hope. And it is fucking terrifying. But he wants to grab onto it and not let go. “I want to. I want to belong here. With you.”

Scott smiles, wide and bright. He pulls him in for a tight hug and whispers next to his ear, “You already do.”

Nolan’s own arms tighten around him as he lets out a happy laugh. “They are needing someone to help at the home. I could do that while I work on my Master’s degree.”

“And you could do that here?” Scott asks, pulling back to look at him.

Nolan nods, giving him a shy smile, “Yeah. I’ve been looking into the college near here, and they have a good program. I may have already sent in my application, just in case. And I got my acceptance letter today.”

“Someone was hopeful,” Scott teases.

“I was trying to be,” Nolan says.

“And you’re not scared?”

It’s then that Nolan realizes they’re still wrapped up in each other’s arms, but he doesn’t pull away. He steps closer, “I’m terrified. But it’s a good kind.”

Scott smiles, “Yeah I get that.” His eyes move across Nolan’s face as if he’s searching for something. “What did you mean when you said you wanted to belong here with me? Was that as a friend? Or something else?”

“I was hoping for something more,” Nolan tells him. He lets the terrifying surge of hope push him forward.

Scott lets out a relieved breath, “Oh good.”

“And you’re okay with that?”

Scott tilts his head and brushes his lips across Nolan’s softly. He’s smiling when he pulls back. “More than okay.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Kudos/Comments make my day. ♥  
> [My tumblr](http://tabbytabbytabby.tumblr.com/)


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